The Salinas City Council voted 6-0 behind closed doors Tuesday in favor of filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump to prevent implementations of Trump's executive order against sanctuary cities.

Trump's executive order, called "Enhancing Public Safety In The Interior Of The United States," threatens to cut federal funding from cities that "willfully violate federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States."

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"Many aliens who illegally enter the United States and those who overstay or otherwise violate the terms of their visas present a significant threat to national security and public safety," Trump's order states.

City Attorney Chris Callihan explained the reason for Salinas' lawsuit at a press conference Tuesday.

"Any attempt by the federal government to withhold federal funding from Salinas, should it become a sanctuary city, would be an unconstitutional act. Certainly, the federal government would disagree with that, which would likely result in the city losing federal funding while the city fought to protect itself and its residents, who have come to rely on that funding for essential programs," Callihan said.

Salinas City Attorney Chris Callihan

Salinas is not joining any current lawsuits against Trump, and will file its own suit later this month.

Just two weeks ago, the City Council rejected a resolution to make Salinas a sanctuary city as Councilmembers Kimbley Craig, Steve McShane, Tony Villegas, and Mayor Joe Gunter struck it down.

Callihan stressed that becoming a sanctuary city does nothing prevent U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting raids, and deporting illegal immigrants.

"Some Salinans and City Council members supported the idea of declaring Salinas a sanctuary city. I understand their position, but legally, it would have no real effect in terms of protecting anyone in the community from the enforcement of federal immigration law by the federal government. The resolution would not prevent ICE, for example, from coming into Salinas and enforcing federal immigration law," Callihan said.

Callihan said the city is filing a lawsuit to take, "direct action to protect the City of Salinas and all other cities from the unconstitutional acts of the President and his executive branch. Over the next few weeks we will prepare the appropriate papers and have them filed in the United States Federal District Court in San Jose. Salinas will lead the region on this issue and will stand up for all its residents."

"This will be a significant undertaking for the City of Salinas and for my office, but it is one that we think is critical for the safety and the security of Salinas and all its residents," Callihan said.

Mayor Gunter

Mayor Gunter is a former police officer. He agreed with Callihan that a sanctuary status would not accomplish anything, and only jeopardize the city's federal funding.

"I share the desire to show our hard-working, law-abiding immigrant population that we support and value them," Gunter said.

Gunter said the city's lawsuit will seek, "to protect not only the tens of millions of dollars in federal funding the city receives each year, but also to protect all its residents, regardless of their immigration status. Salinas, like most of Monterey County, is dependent on the agricultural economy. That economy is supported by immigrant workers who may or may not be in this country legally. If those hard-working families are ripped apart and deported, not only will they suffer, but the local economy will suffer - all of us will suffer."